Improvement in safety-switches for railroads



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES H. WHITE, OF EMMETT, MICHIGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN SAFETY-SWITCHES FOR RAILROADS.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,435, dated May 5,1863.

`following is a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification, in Which- Figure l is a perspectiveView, and Fig. 2 is a half-size cross-section, of one side of the trackin the line x x.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

A A represent two switch-rails of the com- Inon T-pattern, which arepivoted at a a in the usual manner.

B B are two tie-bars.

O is the draw-bar, to be moved and locked by any of the known devicesfor that purpose.

D D D, Ste., are the wooden cross-ties of the road, and dd d, &c., areflat iron bars on which the switchrails` and attachments slide.

No particular description of the parts just enumerated is necessary, aswith tritling modications they compose the switch in ordinary us i.

To convert this common switch, by the addition ot a few simple andinexpensive attachments, intoa safety-switch, by the use of which itwill be impossible for a train to run off the track onto the ground, nomatter how the Same is locked, is the gist of my invention; and thebetter to enable others skilled in this branch to construct and use saidinvention, I will now proceed to describe it.

H H represent what I call safety drawfrogs,7 one of each being fittedand attached to the inner side of each switch-rail A.

J J are what I term fiangesupporters/7 one of which is fit-ted andattached to the outer side of each rail A, and both H and J are firmlybolted to the rail, as shown at S, Fig. 2. As one side is an exactduplicate of the other, I will, to avoid prolixity, describe but one,premising, however, that one side is right and the other left, and will,of course, require parts to conform. I propose also to treat of theseveral parts as though formed in solid mass, although I usuallyconstruct a part of the surfaces of rolled iron, to be hereinafterexplained.

The ordinary length of my safety draw-frog H is about six feet, itsthickness being equal to the extreme height of the rail to which it isto be attached. The width of the outer or wide end, which is placedflush with the swing end of the switch-rail, is determined by the numberand extent of the shifts, and the narrow end is usually about one andthree-quarter inches wide, being equal to one and a halt` times thethickness of a wheel-deluge, or thereabout. A rabbet, u, forming agroove when in place, is sunk in the side next to the rail, of asufficient width and depth to allow a free passage for the largestwheel-ange in use. A stout flange, I, is formed lon the opposite side bysinking a parallel groove, (marked e,) and as the rabbet and groove runtogether so as to form but one groove space between the flange I andrail A- at the narrow end of the frog, a taper tongue, n, is formed inthe center like that of a permanent frog at the intersection of tracks.g

The ilangesupporter J is tapered sidewise, like H. It is a mere dat,level plate even with the tread ofthe switch-rail, to the side of whichit must be so fitted as to leave no crack or depression on its uppersurface in the line of the joint at the Wide end, (see b.) The plate isbent down slightly to form an incline, up which the wheels can readilyascend on their Ilan ges. I usually construct this part by using a heavyrolled plate (markedB) above, and a lighter plate, 4, underneath, with awooden filling, W, between, the whole secured together by stout rivetbolts, and, if deemed necessary, one of the plates may be turned so asto cover the outer side.

Fig. 2 illustrates my general mode of constructing the safety draw-frogby swagin g the rolled plate 2 in the form required, and supporting thisplate by interposing cast blocks k, in the upper side of which is agroove to receive the bolt S, between the under side of the plate, andthe slide-bars d of the wooden crossties u are attached by rivets p. Idonot, however, w-ish to confine myself to any particular material orcombination of materials, nor to any specific mode of uniting theseveral parts.

The mode of operation is as follows: Suppose f f represent the maintrack and g g a side track, to which the switch is locked, as seen inFig. l, and a train on the main track is approaching in the direction ofthe arrow. The wheels, instead of ruiming ofi' on the ground, willon theone side roll on the tongue n, the iianges entering the groove e, duringwhich time they are constrained to approach gradually the switch-rail A,being guided and governed in their course by the converging ange I untiltheir treads take a tirm bearing on the rail. During 'this time thewheels on the other side are ascending the short incline b on theirflanges, rolling over the smooth and even surface of theflange-supporter J, and dropping with their treads on the oppositeswitch'rail. 1t will be noticed, however, that when a iianged wheel haslost its bearing on the tongue a itis not quite near enough to the railto take a reliable hold, but must be held up by its flange rolling alongthe bottom ofthe groove e until it approaches nearer and clears thefrog.

As absolute uniformity cannot be preserved on any railroad as regardsthe depth of wheeliianges, it is absolutely necessary that the bottom ofthe groove e should toward its ternziaation near the rail besufficiently elevated to hold up the treads of those wheels having theshallowest flanges at a level with or even a little higher than the top'of the rail, for it is better for the wheels to drop a little afterpassing the groove than to risk jamming by being too low at the pointwhere the tread begins to overlap the switch-rail.

In the case of Mulay 7 or tlangeless wheels it will be readily seen thatby reason of their superior breadth of face they will, after passing thepoint of the tongue n, have a good bearing on the switch-rail A, andpass on with perfect safety. Should the switch be locked to the maintrack ff, and a train approach on the side track, g g, it would passsafely over the switch in a manner analogous to that heretoforedescribed.

To adapt my improvement to any practicable number of tracks, the widthof parts H J at one end mustbe proportionally increased, r. and anadditional number of tongues u applied proportionally longer.

I am aware that a safety-switch, so called,

that moves with the switchrails, though not fastened to them, and whichpossesses some features similar to mine, was patented on the Sth ofFebruary, 1859, by Giles S. Appleton;- but as mine accomplishes someresults independently of his, and others in a different, and, as Ithink, much superior manner, I propose to point out brietly theessential differences. Mr. Appletons switch requires an entirely newconstruction, involving much original outlay and enhanced cost forrenewal of the switch-rails. My attachments can be readily and cheaplyapplied to almost every switch already in common use, and costs nothing`additional to renew the switch-rails. A Mulay or flangeless wheel,which, as drivers are extensively used on railroads, could not pass overMr. Appletons switch, for as his traverse-rail, which corresponds withmy frog, is required to be lower than his switch-rail, it follows that adriver having no flange would jam in between the switch and guard-railor Han ge, and burst the parts asunder. In my switch the tongue a,'which is on a level with the rail, furnishes a safe bearingtrack,besides, instead of allowing the wheels to roll on their flanges on thebroad and even surfaces of the switch7 and traverse-rails in varyingpaths, which Mr. Appleton deems essential to safety, I insist that in myswitch the wheels on one side shall roll on their treads over the tonguen in a straight unvarying path, being' guarded thereon by their anges inthe groove c.

I do not claim, broadly, supplementary tracks applied to a switch toguide the train onto the switch-rails, but

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The use of the anges I I, tongues a n, grooves e e, rabbets u a, andflange-supporters J J, in combination with the track switch-rails A A,when arranged relatively with each other and with the said rails,substantially as and for the purposes specied.

CHARLES Il. WHITE.

Witnesses:

.GEORGE JoHNsoN, l

EDWARD H. LAWRANCE.

